Aroha AI

A 24/7 answering service for Canadian contractors, in English or French.

A frozen pipe at midnight or a furnace fault on a long weekend: Aroha answers in your business name and gets you when it is an emergency.

A call at 12.20am, Monday

"A pipe has burst in the basement and the water is still running." What Aroha did: Marked it an emergency, texted the owner the address, rang them when the text went unanswered, and told the caller when to expect them.

Set up for contractors in Canada.

Canadian numbers
Pick a local number by area code, ready in minutes, or keep yours and forward the calls you miss.
English or French
It answers in English by default and in French, or detects the caller’s language.
Rogers, Bell and Telus
Forwarding the calls you miss is a short code on your phone, set once.
Winter emergencies first
You decide what is urgent. No heat or a burst pipe reaches you by text, then a call if you do not reply.

More than a message service.

It answers, then it acts
A message service writes down a name and number. Aroha asks the questions your trade asks, books a real time in your calendar while the caller is on the line, and texts them the confirmation.
Around the clock, at the same price
Nights, weekends and public holidays cost the same as a Tuesday morning. There is no after-hours surcharge and no per-call fee.
Urgent calls reach you
You choose what counts as urgent. Aroha texts you the job, rings you if you do not reply in the minutes you choose, and tells the caller your answer.
Your number stays yours
Forward only the calls you miss, and your phone still rings first. Or take a new local number in minutes.

Around the clock, priced by the minute.

No per-call fees, no after-hours surcharge, no contract. Prices are in New Zealand dollars, excluding GST. Outside New Zealand your bank converts the charge.

Pay as you go
NZ$0.59 a minute answered, plus NZ$5 a month for a number
Essentials
NZ$79.99 a month for 150 minutes
Growth
NZ$179.99 a month for 450 minutes
Pro
NZ$349.99 a month for 1,200 minutes

Aroha, a live answering service, or voicemail.

Answers at 2am on a Sunday
Aroha: Yes, same price. Live answering service: Depends on the plan. Voicemail: No.
Books into your calendar on the call
Aroha: Yes. Live answering service: Sometimes, by hand. Voicemail: No.
Texts the caller a confirmation
Aroha: Yes. Live answering service: Depends on the service. Voicemail: No.
Gets you for an emergency
Aroha: Texts, then rings you. Live answering service: Usually a message. Voicemail: No.
What you pay for
Aroha: Minutes answered. Live answering service: Calls or minutes, set by the plan. Voicemail: Nothing, but the job may go elsewhere.

Questions

Can I get a Canadian number?

Yes, ready in minutes in most area codes.

Can it answer in French?

Yes. It answers in English by default, and in French or over sixty other languages, including an option that detects the caller’s language.

Can I keep my Rogers, Bell or Telus number?

Yes. Forward the calls you miss with the standard codes in our forwarding guide.

What currency am I charged in?

New Zealand dollars. Your bank converts it, so the amount in Canadian dollars moves a little with the exchange rate, and your billing screen shows the exact amount before you confirm. See pricing.

Is this a live answering service or an AI?

An AI receptionist. It answers in your business name with a natural voice, and if a caller asks, it tells them. For the calls that need you, it puts them through or texts you straight away, so a person is always one step away.

Can I try it before I pay?

Yes. Start free and test your receptionist in the browser. When you are ready, switch on a 14-day trial from inside Aroha: take a local number, forward the calls you miss to it, and Aroha answers them for 14 days or 60 answered minutes, whichever comes first. No card, nothing to cancel.

What is the cheapest way to get calls answered 24/7?

For most small businesses it is paying by the minute for the calls that actually come in. With Aroha that is NZ$0.59 a minute answered plus NZ$5 a month for a number, with no contract. Once you pass about 130 answered minutes a month, the Essentials plan works out cheaper. See pricing.